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Each year on the first day of spring, in the tiny fishing village of Seldovia, a festival is held. It is known to the locals as the FLOUNDER FESTIVAL. It is a time of great joy and expectations. A time when the Russian Orthodox priest blesses the small fleet of fishing boats and their crews. A time when the abundant wildflowers that dot the area have begun to bloom and all the villagers have happily put the long cold winter behind them. The festival begins in the boat harbor and after the blessing of the fleet, all the villagers parade on foot to the beach at Sunny Cove. A large wooden pavilion has been built at the back of the beach above the high tide line. The pavilion has been built to shelter the villagers that frequent Sunny Cove from the frequent rains that pelt the area in late spring and early fall. The outdoor pavilion covers enough wooden benches and tables for the entire village to sit at during family picnics, or in this case, THE FLOUNDER FESTIVAL. Sunny Cove is part of the Alaskan coastline that looks out on beautiful Kachemak Bay. The pavilion was built to face the bay that separates Seldovia from her nearest neighbor to the north, Halibut Cove and Homer which is across the channel to the west. Between the pavilion and the sea is a large rock fire circle. Grandfather has told the village children many times about how the fire circle had been lit when the fishing fleet did not return to the harbor on time. This happened in olden times before the small lighthouse at beacon rock had been built. Some of the village wives would come down to Sunny Cove and light a large fire from the dry wood they…